The road to Sikkim? Government plans new route along Indo-China border

In a bid to effectively safeguard the frontiers bordering China, the Centre has asked the Supreme Court for permission to construct a new 139km-long road for carrying out operational preparedness and maintaining troops deployed along the Indo-China border in Sikkim.

In an application before the SC, the defence ministry submitted that the proposed road was essential from the defence point of view as the existing National Highway 31A was the only road connecting Sikkim to the rest of the country.

A clearance from the forest bench of the SC was required because a stretch of about 33km of the road is to pass through the Neora Valley National Park and the Pangolakha Wild Life Sanctuary in the East district of Sikkim.

The Supreme Court has been approached as the road to the Indo-China border will need clearing up of some forest areas

The Flag Hill-Log Bridge- Madhubala Dokala road to be built by the Border Roads Organisation would pass through the sanctuary where construction could be undertaken only after prior clearance from the SC as per its earlier orders.

Stressing on the importance of the road, the defence ministry said: "The construction of the road will facilitate building up of infrastructure in border areas for repulsing enemy incursions as well as to carry out combat operations."

The ministry said the decision to construct the road was taken after the special group known as China Study Group carried out a review of the international border with China and recommended "high operational preparedness".

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One of the recommendations was laying down a communication network of roads to ensure faster mobility and operational preparedness, it added.

On the need for a road in addition to the NH 31A running through Chalsa-Khuniamore- Jaldhaka-Thode-Tangta-Rachela- Aritar, the ministry said the road would provide a "shorter avenue of approach" to reach East Sikkim and reduce the time required for troop deployment.

"The construction of this road would provide an alternative axis to East Sikkim enhancing the operational and logistic support of the troops in the area," the ministry said in the application.

The alternative access to Sikkim is crucial for the Indian Army to reach high altitude posts along the Tibet border.

The army's 33 corps based in Sukna, north Bengal covers Sikkim with division level presence in Gangtok, Binaguri and Kalimpong. It is also important for Siliguri corridor connecting north east with the rest of India

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The road to Sikkim? Government plans new route along Indo-China border